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Home » Recipes » Autumn

Honey and Spice Poached Pears

Published: May 7, 2024 · Updated: Jun 24, 2024 by Carissa Erzen · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

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5 from 1 vote

These delicious honey and spice poached pears are sweetened with honey and flavored with warm spices. This deceptively easy recipe is gluten free and refined sugar free, and it can easily be made vegan! Plus it's made without wine, so it's kid-friendly. And for more pear recipes, try a pear galette or stewed pears.

four Honey and Spice Poached Pears on an antique silver platter

Honey poached pears are perfect for breakfast in bed or a romantic date night. Serve them over oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast, or with a bowl of vanilla ice cream for dessert!

I first made these pears for Valentine's Day, which is a notoriously overrated "holiday". But I like to see it as a not-so-subtle reminder towards the beginning of the year to carve out time for love.

The best part about this dish is while it looks and sounds fancy, it's actually incredibly simple! Next time you're looking to create an impressive dessert or breakfast, try these easy poached pears in honey. Or try German baked apples with raisins called Bratapfel.

a girl in a white dress and pink cardigan enjoying a vegan dessert on a pink plate

In this Post

  • What are Poached Pears?
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Honey and Spice Poached Pears
  • Recipe Tips
  • Tips to Poaching Pears with Honey
  • Raw versus Pasteurized Honey
  • More Apple and Pear Recipes

What are Poached Pears?

Poaching is a delicate method of cooking food in low-heated water. When you poach pears, they hold their shape and maintain some of their crunchy texture. But they soften just enough so that each bite is fruity, floral and sensuously soft.

The liquid you poach the pears in can be infused with an array of spices and sweeteners. I love the way honey adds sticky-sweetness to the pears, almost like they become candy.

Herbs and spices like cardamom, star anise, ginger, and cinnamon add layers of rich aromas and flavors. Everything melds together in a sweet, floral, comforting concoction.

overhead view of a poached pear sliced and topped with chopped hazelnuts

Ingredients

  • Pears - use ripe, firm Bosc pears for the best flavor and texture
  • Water - serves as the cooking liquid
  • Honey - you can substitute granulated sugar or maple syrup to make this recipe vegan
  • Fresh ginger - use a spoon to easily peel fresh ginger
  • Star anise - this is optional, since it can sometimes be hard to find; it adds a black licorice flavor
  • Cinnamon - either use ground cinnamon or a whole cinnamon stick to add a warm flavor
  • Cardamom - either use ground cardamom or whole cardamom pods to add an herbal warm flavor
  • Toppings - optional toppings include syrup or honey for drizzling, chopped nuts, and yogurt
three bosc pears on a green linen in a wooden bowl

How to Make Honey and Spice Poached Pears

These are the general steps to poach pears with honey and spices. For the full step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Prepare the pears: Peel the pears. Keep the stems on them and slice a small bit off the bottom so they can stand up straight. Set aside.
  2. Prepare the water: Pour the water into a large pot and add the honey and spices. Bring the water to about 160°F. The water should be steaming but not bubbling.
  3. Poach the pears: Place the pears into the water on their sides and let them poach for 15 minutes. The water will only reach about halfway up the pears.
    Gently flip each pear over and poach the other side for another 15 minutes.
    Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool while standing upright on a plate.
  4. Reduce the syrup: Bring the remaining poaching liquid to a simmer until it's reduced to half its volume to create a syrup to drizzle on the pears.
view over the shoulder of a girl in a white lace dress peeling pears at a white table

Recipe Tips and Variations

  • Firm Pears: Use ripe, firm pears since they're sweeter and they'll soften but still hold their shape as they cook. Mushy pears could turn into a pear-sauce situation.
  • Flat Base: Slice just the bottom off each pear so you can stand them up straight on a flat base.
  • Careful Handling: Leaving the stem on is optional, but it gives the pears a fancy appearance. Don't pick up the pears by the stem after they're poached though, since the stem could rip out of the soft fruit.
  • Slotted Spoon: Gently handle the pears after they're poached, since they'll be soft and easy to puncture. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them out of the pot and onto a plate.
  • Don't Boil: Don't let the water bubble or boil. Poaching is a soft method of cooking. This allows the pears to maintain their shape without getting mushy.
  • Apple Juice: You can substitute apple juice or apple cider for the water for sweeter pears.
  • Vegan: You can substitute maple syrup or granulated sugar for the honey to make this recipe vegan.
four Honey and Spice Poached Pears on a silver platter next to two fancy drink glasses

Tips to Poaching Pears with Honey

It's important to note that poaching food usually brings the water up to 160°F to 180°F. This is different from simmering, which brings the water up to 185°F to 200°F. Both are softer forms of cooking than boiling, which occurs in water at 212°F.

You can use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature of your water, to make sure you're poaching your pears instead of simmering or boiling them. I usually keep an eye on the appearance of the water, which should be steaming but not bubbling.

If the pears are cooked in water that's too hot, they'll become mushy, like the pear version of applesauce.

And when poaching with honey, it's all the more critical to make sure your water doesn't simmer or boil. Honey degrades if it's heated higher than 160°F, so we want to keep the liquid at the lowest end of the poaching temperature range.

Honey doesn't become toxic to humans after its heated; it just starts to lose its antibacterial and antioxidant benefits.

a spoon drizzling honey onto Honey and Spice Poached Pears

Raw versus Pasteurized Honey

Pasteurized (non-raw) Honey

Pasteurized honey has been heated to 160°F to kill any potential bacteria. But that also means it's likely been depleted of many of its health benefits.

Raw Honey

Raw honey is not processed or packaged with added heat. This means raw honey maintains many of its health benefits including antibacterial properties, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Poaching with Raw Honey

If keeping all the health benefits of raw honey is important to you, then you might consider poaching your pears in a different sweetener. There's a chance that some of the beneficial properties of raw honey are lost during the poaching process.

Alternatives

Maple syrup and granulated sugar are two alternatives. And you can always save your honey and drizzle it on top of the poached pears.

overhead view of poached pears on a bed of yogurt

More Breakfast Recipes

Looking for more delicious and easy breakfast recipes? Try these!

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    Glazed Lemon Blackberry Scones (with Frozen Blackberries)
  • Raspberry Strudel with Phyllo Dough
  • Two slices of poppy seed strudels on small plates.
    German Poppy Seed Strudel | Mohnstrudel

Honey and Spice Poached Pears

Carissa Erzen
Honey and spice poached pears look fancy & taste luxurious, but they are incredible simply to make! This impressive dish comes together in under an hour. And it refrigerates well, so you can prepare it ahead of time.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Save Saved Recipe!
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish
Cuisine French
Servings 4 pears
Calories 37 kcal

Ingredients
  

Honey and Spice Poached Pears

  • 4 ripe Bosc pears
  • 4 cups water
  • ⅔ cup honey
  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
  • 1 whole star anise (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1 whole cinnamon stick) (or 1 whole cinnamon stick)
  • 4 green cardamom pods

Extra Optional Toppings

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup chopped roasted nuts
  • honey for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Peel the pears. Keep the stems on them and slice a small bit off the bottom so they can stand up straight. Set aside.
  • Pour the water into a pot that's big enough for all four pears to lay on their sides and not overlap. To the water, add the honey, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom pods.
    Bring the water to about 160°F. The water should be steaming but not bubbling.
  • Place the pears into the water on their sides and let them poach for 15 minutes. The water will only reach about halfway up the pears.
    Gently flip each pear over and poach the other side for another 15 minutes.
    When the bottom of the pears are easily pierced with a knife, they are done. Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool while standing upright on a plate.
  • Bring the liquid that remains in the pot to a simmer until it's reduced to half its volume. Now you have a deliciously spiced syrup to pour onto your poached pears or other sweets.
  • To serve, spread a dollop of Greek yogurt onto four individual plates, or spread all the Greek yogurt onto one large serving dish. Place the poached pears standing upright in the Greek yogurt. Then sprinkle the chopped nuts and drizzle the syrup on top.
    Enjoy!!

Notes

  • Use ripe, firm pears since they're sweeter and they'll soften but still hold their shape as they cook. 
  • Gently handle the pears after they're poached, since they'll be soft and easy to puncture. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them out of the pot and onto a plate to cool.
  • Don't let the water bubble or boil. Poaching is a soft method of cooking in water that is just steaming. This allows the pears to maintain their shape.
  • You can substitute the honey for maple syrup or granulated sugar to make this recipe vegan. 
  • Store leftover cooled poached pears in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pearCalories: 37kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 5gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 30mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword poached pear dessert, poached pears, poached pears recipe
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @humbly-homemade on social!

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About Carissa Erzen

Growing up in Germany, I fell head-over-heels in love with ALL the German baked goods, from Lebkuchen to pretzels. Now I'm the founder, recipe developer, and food photographer behind Humbly Homemade, where I test and share German sweets lovingly created from scratch. So pull up a chair, and stay a while!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yum-number1

    February 12, 2022 at 10:13 am

    This would be such a nice breakfast to serve to your loved ones on Valentine's Day!

    Reply
    • strawberryandcream

      February 17, 2022 at 10:17 pm

      Exactly! I made it a few days early, but why not celebrate the spirit of Valentine's Day throughout the whole year? 💖

      Reply
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